Connections – turning isolated tracks into networks of trails
A lack of coordination between the various bodies involved in creating new trails was brought up a number of times. A lack of interconnectivity between Department of Conservation trails, local council tracks, and those created by other groups such as NZ Cycleways, and community groups, places an artificial limit on what people can do in the outdoors.
Interconnected trails give agencies the ability to move people towards routes that are under capacity, and give users the option of mixing and matching trails to create longer routes.
Our (DOC) network isn’t connected that well yet, both with our other tracks and with [the local] council. For example, we have a good track at Leith Saddle that’s built to handle lots of traffic, but [the council] has a busy network just next door (Burns/ Rustler’s Ridge) and there’s no connection between them.
Department of Conservation staffer
People also talked about the appeal of properly networked tracks and trails for overseas visitors, using the examples of Germany, Switzerland and the USA where well-developed and connected trails networks are destinations for tourists in and of themselves.
One trail is nothing globally. But a network of trails appeals to big communities of visitors.
Department of Conservation staffer
An agency with oversight across the creation of tracks and trails, regardless of land ownership, was seen as necessary by many people we spoke to.
This agency would be responsible for providing the bigger picture, working alongside the Department of Conservation, local authorities, iwi, and private landholders to ensure that no matter who was building trails, they were linked with other nearby opportunities and to local communities.
Landholders we spoke to talked about the advantages of being a part of something bigger. Where a farmer might be reluctant to allow public access across their land, it was easier to do so if that access was just a small part of a larger project — a multi-day trail network that traverses several farms, in addition to public conservation land or a council reserve. These longer experiences were also seen as more likely to be able to provide additional income streams to the landholders.
Being part of a network of trails — as long as there was a commercial gain for the farmers — would be useful. 5 or 6-day walks, crossing multiple stations, DOC land etc., would be great. The commercial aspect makes it attractive, and helps to provide infrastructure for users.
Landholder, Mackenzie District
Connections do not only need to be made between trails. Connecting local communities to outdoor amenities, and to each other, is also vital. Cycle trails, in particular, are playing a key role in many parts of this community, with the Alps2Ocean Cycleway connecting towns and villages in the Mackenzie and Waitaki District, and the Queenstown Cycle Trail and related cycleways connecting communities within the Queenstown Lakes District.
These trails can become commuter routes between population centres, provide a way for children to get to school off the busy main roads, and give locals an easy way to enjoy the outdoors in the evenings or on weekends.
Our future vision? We want user-friendly networks of trails in each population centre, linked together, and also linked to multi-day backcountry adventures.
Mountain bike club members and trail builders, Queenstown Lakes District